In late March, reports began circulating that as many as 10 nurses working in the same maternity ward at a Massachusetts hospital were diagnosed with brain tumors. The hospital has since confirmed that five nurses in the unit were diagnosed with benign brain tumors and six others have unspecified health concerns. The hospital’s medical officers said that an internal investigation “found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor.” Soon after the cases were reported in local media, vaccine opponents began spreading the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccines caused the tumors. The false rumor is now spreading across multiple social media platforms, with some claiming without evidence that the nurses received vaccines from the same batch and that cancer is a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines. Many commenters, including some vaccine skeptics, noted that most hospital staff are likely vaccinated, making it extremely unlikely that a health concern only affecting nurses in one unit was vaccine-related. Some posts speculated that environmental factors such as radiation poisoning are more likely to blame.
Recommendation
Anti-vaccine advocates have spent decades attempting to link various vaccines to cancer with no evidence. Debunking messaging may explain that over four years of research and safety monitoring worldwide show no link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer. Messaging may also emphasize that “turbo cancer” isn’t real. The term was made up by anti-vaccine advocates and is not accepted by medical professionals.
Fact-checking sources: Public Good News; Science Feedback
